In nearly every city across the United States, less than 10% of calls to 911 are about a violent crime in progress. As a society we are programmed to use 911 as the default catch-all call for any crisis or emergency we encounter. As a result, police are often called into situations that they are not trained for, not equipped to handle, and often end up escalating into violence. For many of these calls, an alternative source of help is available.
The instinct to treat police as the catch-all is pervasive throughout the U.S.; however, the negative impacts of this instinct fall disproportionately on BIPOC communities. As we are all too aware, these impacts are devastating - the U.S. consistently averages nearly 1,000 people killed by police each year.
The objective of dontcallthepolice.com is to keep people safe and allow people to feel confident seeking assistance when they need it by providing easy and transparent access to alternative resources for crisis support. By providing a free, vetted, accessible database of alternatives to police, dontcallthepolice.com will deprogram people from a police-first mindset, and empower communities to move toward a system of public safety that protects everyone.